Hungaey



(No Model.)

S. PARBAKY& S. SGHENEK. THE MANUFACTURE OF SECONDARY BATTERIES 0RAGGUMULATORS.

No. 348,625. Patented Sept. 7, 1886.

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7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHAN FARBA'KY AND STEFAN SGHENEK, OF SCHEMNITZ, AUSTRIA- HUNGARY.

MANUFACTURE OF SECONDARY BATTERIES 0R ACCUMULATORS.

$EECIE'IGA1ION forming part oiLetters Patent No. 348,625, datedSeptember 7, 1886.

Application filed June 7, 1886. Serial No. 204.395. (No model.) Patentedin Belgium November 9, 1885, No. 70,789; in Italy November 9, 1685,XXXVII, No. 458, and in France November 12, 1885, No. 172,211.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, STEPHAN FARBAKY and STEFAN SOHENEK, both professorsat the mining academy at Schemnitz, Austria-Hungary,have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of SecondaryBatteries or Accumulators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention consists in the manufacture ofsecondary batteries or accumulators, and in the manner of fixing theactive material in the interstices of the lead plates without any highpressure used until now for that purpose.

In manufacturing our secondary batteries we use, preferably, as activematerial for the negative pole-plates,a mixtu re of about ninetyfivcparts, of weight, of pulverized litharge, (free of copper,) and of fiveparts, of weight, of granulated pumice-stone or of brick-dust, or otherneutral substances treated with diluted sulphuric acid, and for thepositive poleplates we use a mixture of about ninety-five parts,ofweight, of litharge, ninetyfive parts,of weight, of minium, and tenparts, of weight, of cake in powder.

\Ve would here state that as we have heretofore made an independentapplication for a United States Patent for the composition of thepacking mass for the plates, we do not in this present application claimthe same. This active material, as above described, is brought into theholes or interstices of the lattice-frame by means of a tinned-ironspoon or spattle, and distributed in such a manner that the massprojects about three to four millimeters over the lead frame. Thesurplus of the material is then beaten by means of a brass bar until avisible sweating of the material is produced,whereupon that part of themass which projects over the frame is removed by means of a long knife.The lead frame is then turned and the other side of the plate is treatedin a similar manner.

In order to obtain a higher degree of hardness of the plates, andprincipally to prevent the softening and outfalling of the activematerials from the plates,we submit them, after drying, to the followingtreatment: WVe prepare a bath of sulphuric acid of 1.85 diluted withseventy-five per cent. water in a chest or trough lined with lead. Inthis bath the plate is rapidly dipped, then quickly taken out, and leftto drain. After twenty-four hours the plate is again dipped in the abovebath so long until the produced effervescence ceases nearly. In case thebath should become turbid, like milk, around the plates, the latter mustimmediately be taken out and left to dry. After further twenty fourhours theplates are dipped into the bath for a third time, and lefttherein without danger for ten to twelve hours. By this treatment theupper layer on both sides of the plates becomes partially converted intosulphate of lead, which stiffens, like cement, and prevents the materialfrom falling out of the interior of the plates. At the same time theminium of the positive-pole plates is converted partially into peroxideof lead,whereby the plates receive a chocolate-like appearance.

In order that our invention may be full understood, we shall now proceedto describe the same more particularly, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinalsection of our accumulator. Fig. 2 is a cross-section along the line III of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 shows in plan a connecting-piece of thepole-bars.

The lead plates, treated as above described, are placed in a box, A, ofwood, lined with sheets 13, of lead, of sufficient thickness, solderedwith lead, upon which are placed veneer of two to three millimetersthickness impregnated with paraffine. At the bottom of the lead box arearranged four to six small prismatic blocks, G,of wood, likewiseimpregnated with paraffine. \Vhen inserting the plates into the box, thelatter is to beinclined under an angle of forty-five degrees, and ineach of the corners is fixed a ledge, D, impregnated with paraffine.These ledges are seven millimeters thick and of such a breadth that theplates rest one and one-half to two centimeters breadth on them. Betweenthe above-described ledges are inserted ten to twelve wood staves of acircular section of seven millimeters diameter, and of such alength thatthey project about one centimeter over the plates. The first negativeplate is then pushed into the box, two

ledges are placed 011 the ends of that plate, and ten to twelve stavesbetween. the ledges, whereupon a positive pole plate is placed, and soon. The last plate must be a'negative one.

The total number of plates in an accumulator may be conveniently varied,according to the dimensions and application of the accumulator.

In order to retain the plates firm in the box or cell, the plates areslightly pressed together and fastened with strips of cork or of woodenwedges impregnated with paraffine, which are pushed in between the lastplate and the wall of the box. It is advisable to insulate the plates bymeans of paper treated with nitric acid, in order to prevent shortcircuiting in such cases when particles of the active material shouldfall out from the plates during their transport. The plates prepared inthe beforedescribed manner are so placed in the box that the bars P ofthe positive pole are directed to one side, and the bars I of thenegative pole to the other side of the accumulator.

In order to prevent as much as possible vaporization of the dilutednitric acid, we cover the accumulator with a sufficiently-thick sheet oflead, F. In the center of this cover we make a circular opening, G, ofabout seventy to one hundred millimeters diameter, bordered by a tube oflead and closed with a conical-shaped cover, H, for the purpose to allowdropping of the acid splashed up during charging. The opening G- seryesonly for the introduction of the diluted sulphuric acid. The cover-plateF has round holes on both sides correspond ing to the number of thepositive and negative pole-bars which have to pass through these holes.In the latter are inserted short tubes I,

of lead, projecting about one centimeter in length above and below. Thepole-bars are coated with tubes K,of india-rubber, in order to insulatethe same from the plate of the cover. At one corner of the plate of thecover is soldered a tube, L, of lead, of about two centi meters length,through which the acid may be drawn off from the box by means of asiphon; After the cover has been placed and connected with the leadlining B of the boX,the positive and negative pole-bars P I? aresuitably connected by bars of lead It, on the ends of which are solderedpieces of tinned-copper wire, which serve as poles and carry the polejaws. The accumulator is now filled with sulphuric acid of 1.85 specificgravity diluted with seventy per cent. water, and may be at oncesubmitted to the formation.

Our improved secondary batteries or accumulators offer the followingadvantages: (a) The prevention of vaporization of sulphuric acid by theair'tight cover. (1)) The use ofthe positive and negativeconnecting-rods of lead outside the box protect them against thecorrosive action of the sulphuric acid. (0) The use of filtering-papertreated with nitric acid placed between the plates of the accumulatorprevents every short circuit in the accumulator. (d) The manufacture ofour accumulators is very cheap, in comparison with those now in use, asall the machineries for obtaining the usual high pressure are notnecessary.

Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of ourinvention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried intoeffect, we claim 'as our invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent- In the manufacture of secondary batteries or accumulators, themethod of fixing the active material in the interstices of the leadplates by simply beating it, instead of pressing it in,by means of apowerful press, as here-v tofore generally used, and the subsequenttreatment with diluted sulphuric acid, all substantially as above setforth.

Signed at Schemnitz, in the Kingdom of Hungary, the 21st day of May,1886.

STEPHAN FARBAKY. STEFAN SCHENEK.

lVitnesses:

ED. SCHMIDT, J 0H. LUX.

